Launch of MAXIDRILL series 10 at the international fair Agritechnica 2017

SKY Agriculture takes the opportunity of the international fair Agritechnica 2017 for the launch of a new generation of the MAXIDRILL seed drill. MAXIDRILL has been on the market since 2002, and the new version integrates new features and enhancements. SKY Agriculture presents the MAXIDRILL series 10 to farmers and dealers in Hanover in the hall 11 on the stand C32 from November 12th to 18th.

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MAXIDRILL is a rapid and polyvalent seed drill with a large tank capacity that allows high workflows on the field. It is able to sow on tillage, into crop residues and after a minimal soil preparation.

14 years of experience

Developing a seed drill takes a long time. The new features and enhancements can indeed only be tested along the crop rotations before the machine can be put on the market again. But wheat or corn are sown only once a year, and the crop rotations can, of course, not be shortened!

SKY Agriculture sells over 4000 seed drills a year and relies on a long experience and know-how in the development of seed drills.

3 products, 1 steering unit

The MAXIDRILL of the series 10 can be equipped up to 3 hoppers, it is just up to the customer to decide on it. The machine can seed different products at once: seeds, fertilizers, micro-granules, companion plants and an anti-slug. The 3 hoppers have their own electrical distribution and are controlled by a single steering unit directly from the tractor´s cabin.

Sowing in 2 depths with the new Fertisem system

The MAXIDRILL is now equipped with a new seed and fertilizer placement system that allows a sowing in 2 different depths in the same seed line. This enables the sowing of 2 different products in 2 depths at the same time.

In case 3 products have to be sown, then the 3rd product would be sown at the same depth as the first or as the second one.

Examples:

Mixed cereals for organic farming:

Product 1: triticale at 2 cm depth

Product 2: field bean at 5 cm

Rape sowing with a companion plant:

Product 1: rape at 1,5 cm

Product 2: field bean at 5 cm

Multispecies cover crop:

Product 1: fodder radish at 2 cm

Product 2: diploid oats at 2 cm

Product 3: fodder radish at 4 cm

A “tailor-made” seed drill

The new MAXIDRILL series 10 counts 25 models.

The customer just has to choose among all models the most appropriated version for his needs: it will then be “tailor-made” just as needed.

A new seed line

A new seed line has been designed for this MAXIDRILL. All elements which have made its success for 14 years are, however, still available, but a totally new design enables now the seed line to work under worst conditions and to get through large volumes of crop residues. The moulded parts and rounded shapes avoid clinging straws and residues. The pressure on the sowing discs still goes up to 120 kg and the control of the depth is still adjustable at the parallelogram frame. At least, the back roll can be removed in order to enable a work under “extreme” conditions.

Reinforced and maintenance-free cultivation elements

The cultivation elements have been totally redesigned for the same reasons as per the seed line: the arms are now moulded and can work under extreme large volumes of crop residues. The hubs have no grease nipples anymore and are totally maintenance-free.

Last but not least, unlike most seed drills on the market, each disc is equipped with an own shock absorber: the preparation of the seed bed is then more precise because only the disc concerned by an obstacle individually retracts.

A convenient use

All models can be folded in two parts. Unlike the machines with 3-parts-folding, this configuration allows an easy hopper emptying and a convenient access to the discs.

A BigBag can easily be positioned under the machine.

Remaining transport axle

The folding MAXIDRILLs have always been equipped with a special transport axle. We now retained this particularity because all advantages it presents are unanimously approved by all of our users. The front package is not in use at all during the transport on the road. The transport axle allows a very convenient conducting of the machine: smooth driving, enhanced braking. It is even now authorised for a drive up to 40 km/h in Germany.

When working under wet conditions, the front package will then not smudge the road, and the farmer is not obliged to clean tit afterwards.

Furthermore, the transport axle allows to raise or to relieve the seed drill in difficult places: MAXIDRILL is not vulnerable to jamming and it can be still raised under extreme work conditions and still drive out of the field. This is a very important point, as most of the seed drills for rapid sowings do not dispose on this tool. This is the reason why rapid seed drills are generally meant to be sensitive to jamming and miring.

MAXIDRILL has been conceived in the North of France, in a sugar beets region. One of the former highest challenges was to develop a drill that is able to seed wheat just after the November sugar beet harvest, which means during a wet period. This explains why MAXIDRILL can seed under very wet conditions.

A convenient and power saving front package

The wheels of the front package are offset mounted. This brings a saving of power of about 10 to 25 %. Therefore, the offset wheels are available along the whole drill´s width, as it is not in use at all for the transport on the road. The front package is exclusively dedicated to the work on the field.

In case of a tire puncture, each wheal pair can easily be swung, and the wheal exchange just takes some minutes.